Rail joint shim



F. s. WONHAM 2,183,272

RAIL JOINI SHIM Dec. 12, 1939.

Filed Afi 2, 1958 R v WM 7 I A 5J f Patented Dec. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES 'RAILYJOINT SHIM Fred S. Wonham, New York, N. Y., assignor to The American Fork & Hoe Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio .etpplication August 2, 1938, Serial No. 222,657

" 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in rail,

joint constructions, and relates more particularly to improvements in wear compensating shims therefor. I

I am familiar with shims of the prior art wherein a one-piece or unitary shim is provided with means which provide additional resilient yielding thereof.

Many of these shims are provided with T- slots and the like in a downwardly projecting apron disposed between bolts projected through the joint bars. Said apron is generally in the form of a tab or extension of the central portion of the shim disposed intermediate a pair of adjacent rail bolts and traversing the intermediate juncture of the rail ends.

I am further familiar with shims of the prior art having a centrally disposed downwardly projecting apron centered between the rail bolts securing the joint bars and rail heads together. In many of these constructions a certain amount of objectionable movement of the shim occurs.

In half shims the two halves sometimes creep toward the juncture of the rail ends and overlap.

It is an object of my invention to provide additional strength in shims of this type and to provide more positive location of such shims in the joint.

Another object of my invention is to minimize the tendency of shims to break or buckle in the center portions.

Another object of my invention is to prevent distortion or lateral movement of such shim in the joint.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will become increasingly apparent from a considerationof the following description of the drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rail joint with an embodiment of my invention therein;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the joint of Fig. 1 with a joint bar thereof removed for clarity.

Referring now to the drawing in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, in Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown at l and 2 a pair of rails comprising each a head 3, a base 4 and a web 5; the two adjacent end portions of the rails l and 2 being conventionally jointed together by a pair of joint bars 66 having inclined surfaces 1-! adapted to be wedgingly engageable with corresponding inclined surfaces 8-8 on the under side of the rail head 3 and having inclined flanges 9-9 adapted to wedging- 1y engage the upper surf-aces of the rail flange 4. The joint bars 6-6 are thrown into wedging engagement with the rail head under surfaces 88 by bolts I0 projected through aligned perforations in the joint bar 66 and the rail web 5v 5 and having nuts I I on the bolts Ill. Shims I2I2 preferably made of sheet metal are employed in the manner well known in the art between the surfaces 1 and 8 to compensate for wear therebetween and the shim I2, illus- 10 trated in the drawing herein in connection with which my invention will now be explained, comprises a flange l3 disposed between the rail head and the joint bar between the inclined surfaces 1 and 8 thereof to compensate for wear therebe- 15 tween, a flange formed body l4 supporting the flange l3 and disposed between the joint bar 6-6 and the web 5. The said flange formed body I4 comprises in the form shown in Fig. 2 a portion which is of length equal to or greater than'the 20 length of the flange portion l3 and which is pro vided with arcuate notches at portions I5 thereof to provide rail bolt receiving portions which circumscribe the top and sides of said rail bolts v in a manner to positively locate the shims 25 against lateral movement of the rails. The outer portions lill'6 of said flange body portion l4 strengthen or reinforce the shim l2 against buckling of the intermediate or lug portion I! which, in the form shown in Fig. 2, has an in- 30 verted T-slot formed therein.

It is to be understood that the lug I! could for the purpose of this invention be slotted or notched in any preferred manner. Various forms of such slots are shown in United States Letters 35 Patent 2,071,151, issued to me and are provided for the purposes described therein, briefly, to allow resilient yielding of the shim. It is to be further understood that my invention may be applicable to shims of this general type which 40 are not notched or slotted in such central portion.

In the present invention, I have added the portion I6l6 which imparts an additional strength to the shim and particularly to a shim weakened 45 by the removal of metal from its center portion, as in Fig. 2. I have further provided by such portion l6, double location of the shims inthe joints since each side 5 of the intermediate or lug portion ll encompasses the sides and top of 5 the rail. bolts disposed laterally of the center or intermediate portion of the shim.

It is to be understood that the tendency towards any buckling of the center lug portion I1 because of the removal of metal from the lug 55 in order to increase its flexibility is eliminated by this construction. Further, that any distortion or lateral movement of the shim in the joint is definitely prevented hereby in the case of a shim of the general type which is tapered from the center of juncture of the rail ends to the ends of the shim and in which type shim in prior constructions there is a marked tendency of the shim to creep along the taper plane towards the center of the joint.

The removal of metal from the center lug portion ll of the shim considerably reduces any tendency to crack in this zone due to the increased flexibility of the shim parts but if cracking occurs to divide the shim in two parts, the parts are prevented from creeping towards each other and overlapping by the engagement of each part with its associated bolt H! at the notch portion [5.

Obviously, shims of either symmetrical or stepped pattern may be employed.

I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the forms herein illustrated and described without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A unitary wear compensating shim for rail joints, comprising a pair of longitudinally aligned shim portions, each adapted to be placed between fishing surfaces of a rail joint bar and the bottom fishing surface of the head of a difierent one of the two rail end portions included in the joint, each shim portion comprising an integral apron pendantly extending between a rail web and the opposing relatively spaced inner surface of the joint bar, and a resiliently flexible relatively narrow strip or web formed integrally with 1 said shim portions extending between and interconnecting them at substantially the level of the joint bolts, said strip uniting said portions and being of substantial length and yieldable responsive to relative movements of the rail joint ends, each said apron extending laterally beyond the adjacent rail joint bolt and having a notch extending from its bottom edge to closely encompass the upper and both side surfaces of said joint bolt, and preventing substantial dislodgment of the shim portion towards or away from the rail ends, whereby buckling or breaking of the strip is avoided and creeping of the shim portions longitudinally of the joint is substantially prevented.

FRED S. WONHAM. 

